2 – 8 August 2018

By LSHTM Communications Team · August 9, 2018 · Uncategorized · Comments Off on 2 – 8 August 2018

Martin McKee is quoted by BBC News and the Daily Telegraph on new figures from the Office for National Statistics that show increases in UK life expectancy have stalled. He said: “What is in no doubt is the importance that the research needed to explain what we are now seeing is undertaken as soon as possible.”

Joy Lawn speaks to the Daily Telegraph following reports of the US officials undermining a World Health Organization measure in support of breastfeeding. Joy said: “I’ve worked for years in Africa and, particularly in Ghana, there’s more acceptance: they see the babies not exclusively breastfed get sick or die.”

Oliver Brady is interviewed by BBC World TV on the deployment of mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia bacteria in Queensland, Australia, rendering them unable to transmit viruses and preventing outbreaks of dengue fever in the region.

Val Curtis is quoted by Bloomberg on a programme she has worked on that has led to almost 80 million toilets being built in India since 2014. Val said: “It’s the biggest, most successful behavior-change campaign in the world. Every time I go there, I feel like I can’t sit down for weeks after because I’m excited about what they’re doing. It’s incredible.”

James Logan is interviewed by Channel 5 News on how to protect yourself from ticks and avoid Lyme disease. He suggests: “The best thing you can do is wear a repellent that you can spray around the legs containing DEET or PMD.”

On social media

Wendy Graham’s engaging Q&A for BMJ Confidential is this week’s social media highlight. Wendy is Professor of Obstetric Epidemiology at LSHTM and founded the Soapbox Collaborative, which aims to reduce infections at birth. Our tweet has gained 27 retweets and 45 likes to date.